How Much Do You Know God? And How
Much Do You Want to Know God?
One of my favorite verses is, "This
is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3; emphasis added). Another one is, "Whom have I in Heaven
but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My
flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my
portion forever" (Ps. 73:5; emphasis added).
In the first verse, the Lord Jesus was
praying to God, the Father, the night before His crucifixion. In His prayer, He
revealed a most wonderful truth - that believers are given the awesome privilege
and joy of actually knowing (and not just knowing about) God. The
Greek transliteration for “know” here is “ginosko,” which literally means to have
an understanding or knowledge of someone - not merely intellectually,
but also intimately, as in the union between a man and a woman. So, in
this context, to “know” the Lord means to have a close and intimate relationship
with Him. This is really what eternal life is - not just living forever in
Heaven, as wonderful as that is. Eternal life is much more than just the
measure of the length of your life or even the quality of your life. It is experiencing
the greatest pleasure and satisfaction ever possible by living as a child of
God in His kingdom with the Creator of the universe, the King of kings, and
Lord of lords, while basking in the beauty, royal splendor, and glory of His
Son, Jesus Christ. Even better, it is also growing in your knowledge of and
developing a more intimate relationship with Christ, who is your Lord and
Savior, the best Friend you will ever have, and the One who loves you most –
and all this for eternity. Just imagine the closest and most loving
relationship you could ever have in your life, and then multiply it times
infinity. Even then, it would still not compare to the pure ecstasy and joy you
will experience with Christ someday.
Similarly, in the second verse, the psalmist
(Asaph) realizes that instead of envying the temporal prosperity of the wicked,
who, if they die impenitent, will reap eternal judgment, he should put his
focus on God and be grateful that he possesses a far greater “portion” or inheritance
that will last forever – God Himself. Like Asaph, we, too, need to remember
that our “portion” is Christ and not the temporary things of this world, the
glamor and glitter of which will someday disappear. If we truly consider God
our treasure above everything else, we will desire to seek after Him, know Him
better, and deepen our relationship with Him.
That, again, is why I love these
verses. They reveal the intimacy that we, as believers, should long for and can
experience with God, if we could just recognize that He is the best Prize of
all, the Treasure above everything else, and the Pearl of great price. Not only
that, we should realize that He is at the center of all things, around which
everything in this universe revolves. We tend to be so humanistic and
man-centered in our thinking. But, in reality, God, and not man, is the Purpose,
Focus, Source, and Means of all that we are and do in this life. And, above
anyone or anything else, He should be our first and most passionate Love - and
even more than that - our Obsession!
Has God ever truly been your
Obsession? I mean really? When God first saved me, He filled me with a passion
to know Him better. And a strong yearning to please Him consumed me. Moreover,
every faculty in me (e.g., my heart, soul, and mind) just seemed to shout that
I must pursue Him, and that compared to Him, nothing else really mattered. As
such, I had this insatiable hunger to devour just about everything I could get
a hold of that would teach me more about God. Eagerly, I read His Word, which
seemed so alive to me, so relevant to my life, and almost like reading a
personal letter from Him. Incredible books like The Attributes of God (Arthur
Pink) and The Existence and Attributes of God (Stephen Charnock) instilled
me with awe and a greater respect for God. Studying Bible commentaries, books
on theology, doctrine, and church history gave me a greater understanding of who
God is and what His intents and purposes are. What also inspired me were
missionary biographies, devotional books, sermons and essays by Spurgeon, Ryle,
and the Puritans (whose writings are saturated with this passion to know and
please God), and much more. I just couldn't seem to get enough. And I couldn't
keep quiet about God either. I didn't care what people thought of me - even if
they thought I was insane. I was on fire! And everything in this new life of
mine, brought about by my spiritual birth, just seemed so real, so vivid, and
so alive! I was filled with joy! And I felt like a new-born, who is just
beginning to discover all the amazing wonders of God's creation for the very
first time.
Then as years passed, trials
increased, and I began to experience just how hard it is to fight the daily
spiritual battle against the enemy, the world, and my own sinful flesh, my
passion began to wane. By God's grace, there were seasons of respite and
refreshment, when God would revive and strengthen me. My life was and still is
like climbing up a very steep mountain with occasional rest stops in between,
and sadly, also some valleys and even ditches that I sometimes fall into, which
God must drag me up from. But thankfully, God has not given up on me and, as
with every believer, He will guide me to the finish line someday. I admit,
sometimes the pain and suffering seem so unbearable that I just want to give
up, but He holds me by His invisible hand and does not let me go. Though in the
acronym TULIP, we learn that the "P" stands for the perseverance of
the saints, like others, I think a better description would be "the preservation
of the saints by God," because I could not make it if He did not carry me
the whole way. On my own, I'm too weak, afraid, foolish, and sinful. Thank the
Lord He is at the helm of my ship instead of me!
So, why am I saying all this? Well,
a friend forwarded this sermon of Paul Washer (below) to me recently that
relates to what I was discussing. And I was so moved by it that I wanted to
share it with you. I thought it was absolutely powerful! I really needed it. It
truly convicted me and reminded me that, in some ways, I have lost my first
love (cf. Rev. 2:1-7), and I need to ask God to help me pursue Him as I once
did. Have you ever felt that way? Is it just me? I want to regain that fervent
desire I once had for God, that boldness to speak His truth, and that passion
for lost souls! How easy it is to forget or neglect God in your heart. Even if
you practice a daily discipline of praying, doing devotions, memorizing His
Word, listening to sermons, studying Biblical doctrine/theology, reading
Christian books, while also regularly attending church and Bible studies, you
can still be missing something very essential - God! I'm not implying that we
can ever lose our salvation (by no means), but we can at times experience
"dry" seasons or "low" periods in our life, especially when
things are very difficult. Sometimes you can let trials discourage you and wear
you down so much that you feel hopeless like John Bunyan’s Christian in Giant Despair's
dungeon. Or you can become so distracted by the world that your senses become
dulled and you are lulled into a deep sleep as with Christian in the Enchanted
Garden. But then God sends something your way, like the video below, which He
uses to rescue you from the devil's trap intended to quench your fire. And the
Lord revives your spirit and awakens you from your spiritual stupor and
lethargy. He reminds you of where you have fallen from and where you need to
return. He rekindles the fire! He never gives up on you, for He truly loves you!
Thank you, Lord. Please continue to
help me to regain that love and passion for you that I once had, which, at
times, can cool down and seem like just a small, burning ember. I'm too weak to
do it on my own. Rekindle a fire in my heart - one that can never go out.
Forgive me for growing dull and allowing the enemy to deaden my zeal for You
and for your kingdom. Please renew my spirit and refresh me. Help me to see
more of your beauty, wisdom, and goodness and to revel in it. I don't want the
honeymoon to be over!
If you desire these same things, I
would highly recommend listening to this sermon. Also, if you feel faint,
tired, worn out, and discouraged, I would highly recommend this sermon. And if
you realize that the "one thing needful" in your life is Christ (and
Him alone) and that if you seek Him first and fill up your soul with Him, out
of this will overflow a heart that naturally desires to love and please Him by
sharing the gospel with others, obeying Him, and living for His glory - then,
again, I highly recommend this sermon. Enjoy!
With love in Christ,
Elizabeth
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